![Najmul Hossain Shanto [Source: @cricketcomau]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1786866878442_Najmul_Hossain_Shanto.jpg?type=hq)
Najmul Hossain Shanto [Source: @cricketcomau]
The Bangladesh cricket team crushed Australia by nine wickets in Darwin to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. The outcome marked Bangladesh’s first-ever Test win on Australian soil, doing so on their return to the country after more than two decades.
As one can expect, the occasion was met with an overwhelming response for Bangladesh players, with even national Prime Minister Tarique Rahman face-timing the entire team at the Marrara Oval in Darwin.
Bangladesh PM congratulates players
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto as well as the rest of his teammates were spotted face-timing with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Darwin after defeating Australia.
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The cricketer confirmed the same while speaking during the post-match press conference, claiming that the Prime Minister congratulated the entire team.
Najmul Hossain Shanto said “He called us and congratulated us. He’s really happy and super proud.”
Darwin Test win Bangladesh’s biggest ever result, says Najmul Hossain Shanto
Najmul Hossain Shanto also claimed that Bangladesh’s historic Test win over Australia marked their biggest ever result in any format. The Bangladesh skipper further stated that he is proud of himself as well as of his players for putting in the hard work.
He said “This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format. Going forward, we will do something special in the future. Very happy and proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did lot of hard work and very happy to win.”
To put that in wider perspective, the current Bangladeshi skipper placed the latest result over Australia in Darwin even above some of Bangladesh’s most historic victories, including their remarkable triumph over India at the 2007 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.
Captain credits fast bowlers for historic win
Najmul Hossain Shanto attributed Bangladesh’s recent success in Test cricket to the rise of their fast bowlers. The cricketer claimed that up until a few years ago, fast bowlers in the country did not want to play Test matches but that situation has since changed dramatically.
Shanto said “That [the rise of fast bowlers] is the biggest change in Bangladesh cricket in the Test format. Normally, five-six years ago, the pace bowlers didn't want to play Test cricket since we didn't play enough Test cricket. But in the last two-three years we've been playing lots of Test matches and the boys are giving importance to Test format.”
Compatible to Shanto’s claims, tearaway paceman Hasan Mahmud bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award in Darwin for picking up nine wickets in the match, including a career-best six-fer in the first Australian innings.
Moreover, Bangladesh fast bowlers accounted for all 10 Australian wickets in the first innings, before senior spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped five across Days 2 and 3.
Bangladesh bowlers also decimated Pakistan in their previous Test series, albeit at home, to secure a historic 2-0 result.
Bangladesh in with a chance of famous series win
The Bangladesh cricket team now stand on the precipice of securing a rare Test series win on Australian soil. In doing so, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side would achieve something that even fellow Asian giants such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka have not.
While Pakistan has never registered a series win in Australia, Sri Lanka is yet to notch up a single Test win ‘Down Under’. Even Australia’s century-old rival England has barely had any Test success in Australia in the last 15 years.
The second Australia vs Bangladesh Test match will be played between August 22 and August 26 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.
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